Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Fleeting / Transient: Lasting for a very short time; passing quickly and not lasting.
   • Brief / Passing: Seen, heard, or felt for only a moment.
   • Furtive: Quick and stealthy, as if trying to avoid notice.

2. Adverb:

   • Fleetingly / Briefly: In a manner that lasts for a very short time; in a passing way.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Cô ấy có một nỗi buồn thoáng qua. (She had a fleeting sadness.)
  • Tôi chỉ có ý nghĩ thoáng qua về điều đó. (I only had a passing thought about that.)
  • Chúng tôi thấy một bóng người thoáng qua trong sương. (We saw a furtive shadow in the fog.)

• Adverb:

  • Nụ cười của anh ấy xuất hiện rồi biến mất thoáng qua. (His smile appeared and vanished fleetingly.)
  • Cảm giác đó chỉ đến thoáng qua. (That feeling only came briefly.)

Advanced Usage

• Used to describe sensory impressions or abstract concepts (thoughts, feelings, memories) that are ephemeral.
• Often carries a poetic or literary nuance, emphasizing the ephemeral nature of an experience.

Variants and Related Words

• Thoáng (adj/adv): Slight, brief, or passing; can also mean breezy or airy.
  • Một cơn gió thoáng. (A slight breeze.)
• Qua (v/prep): To pass, to go past, or to go through.

Synonyms

• Fleeting: Lasting for a very short time.
• Transient: Lasting only for a short time; impermanent.
• Brief: Of short duration.
• Momentary: Lasting for a very short time.
• Ephemeral: Lasting for a very short time (often more literary).

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Thoáng qua như cơn gió: As fleeting as the wind; describes something that passes very quickly without leaving a trace.
  • Ký ức tuổi thơ đôi khi chỉ thoáng qua như cơn gió. (Childhood memories sometimes are just as fleeting as the wind.)
• Chỉ là thoáng qua: It's just a fleeting thing; used to minimize the importance or duration of an event or feeling.
  • Đừng lo, khó khăn này chỉ là thoáng qua. (Don't worry, this difficulty is just fleeting.)

verb

1. to flash over